As the Swamp noted several times in recent weeks, Barack Obama has steered toward the political center after locking up the Democratic presidential nomination. Many liberal groups don't like it - and one is registering its displeasure by asking members to "use your money to ensure that Barack Obama lives up to his promise to deliver 'change we can believe in.'"

The idea: Create a $1 million pool of pledged contributions that Obama won't see until he returns to demonstrating "progressive leadership" on issues such as electronic wiretapping by the federal government.

The group, Democrats.com - "The aggressive progressives" - backs impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney for a variety of crimes against the Constitution and domestic and international law. It is raising money for left-leaning primary challengers to some of the more conservative Democrats in the House. In an e-mail to members today, President Bob Fertik urges them to appeal to Obama with a different sort of donation - a conditional one.

"Don't get me wrong: we fully support Obama and will do everything we can to elect him President," Fertik writes. "But will also do everything we can to protect the Constitution and hold Obama to his promise of real progressive change.

"And that's why we are launching our Obama Progressive Escrow Fund. We're asking you to put some of the money you plan to give Obama 'in escrow' until he demonstrates progressive leadership on the issues we care about, like warrantless wiretapping."

Then he adds: "We are absolutely not trying to hurt Obama - we'll give him our money at some point. We're just asking for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T like Aretha Franklin sang about."

The strategy which raises a larger question in light of Obama's decision to forgo public financing and raise hundreds of millions of dollars himself for the general election: How much withheld money would it take to "hurt" Obama, financially, enough to get his attention?

Read on for the full e-mail:

(From Bob Fertik, president of Democrats.com):

Let's Escrow Our Money to Keep Obama Progressive

Last week, we asked 1,000 of you to contribute $10 to raise $10,000 to help progressive Democrats like State Senator Regina Thomas defeat "Bush Democrats" like Rep. John Barrow (GA12) in upcoming primaries. Your response was amazing: over 1,300 of you contributed over $60,000! Senator Thomas and our other "Replace Bush Democrats" candidates were thrilled by your support, and so are we!!

Now we are asking you to use your money to ensure that Barack Obama lives up to his promise to deliver "change we can believe in. "

How? By creating a progressive "escrow" fund that you control.

http://www.democrats.com/obama-escrow-fund

Many progressives were shocked last week when Obama flip-flopped on wiretapping immunity for the phone companies with this simple explanation:

"My view on FISA has always been that the issue of the phone companies per se is not one that overrides the security interests of the American people."
So if a President unilaterally decides it is in the "security interests of the American people" to defy the Constitution, the Law, and Congress, (s)he can do whatever (s)he wants?

George Bush believes that, as do Dick Cheney and John McCain - and every dictator in the world. How is that progressive? And how is that change we can believe in?

Don't get me wrong: we fully support Obama and will do everything we can to elect him President. But will also do everything we can to protect the Constitution and hold Obama to his promise of real progressive change.

And that's why we are launching our Obama Progressive Escrow Fund. We're asking you to put some of the money you plan to give Obama "in escrow" until he demonstrates progressive leadership on the issues we care about, like warrantless wiretapping.

http://www.democrats.com/obama-escrow-fund

We are absolutely not trying to hurt Obama - we'll give him our money at some point. We're just asking for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T like Aretha Franklin sang about.

We can get Obama's respect because needs our money - he turned down $85 million in taxpayer dollars because he believes small donors like us will contribute $300 million. And now is the best time to use our modest leverage, before the campaign goes all-out after the convention.

We are setting an ambitious goal of $1 million, which is hopefully large enough to get some respect.

We are not asking you to give us your money. We only want you to make a moral "pledge" to our informal "escrow" fund. The money remains entirely yours, and we want you to contribute directly to Obama after he takes actions that you believe demonstrate progressive leadership.

(When you eventually decide to contribute to Obama, please use our special Obama Progressive Leadership Fund page on Actblue so we can all see how strong we are, as measured in simple dollars.)

I just pledged $2,300 to the Obama Progressive Escrow Fund, which is the maximum allowed by law. I hope 100,000 of you will pledge as little as $10 so together we get some respect.

Comments

I see we have some Republican shills in the house. Kindly, show them the exits. Senator Obama, on a day, in the center, is light years away from the hooliganism and dishonesty of our present administration !! It sure sounds like some more Republican nonsense and I bet it is!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

Justce should be a left/right issue, should it? I mean if someone breaks the Law, then they've broke the law of America - not Republican law or Democrat law. There is a very large and growing body of evidence that the Bush Administration has in fact broken the Law. Should we say that looking into this is a Partisan issue?

It's a constantly repeated fallacy that Obama is 'moving to the center.' He has always claimed he was not just liberal and left, but, like most Americans, is a mix of left and right based on issues and balanced in the middle.

The media and McCain has labeled him a liberal far left just because McCain is on the right. The truth is far more complex than that.

Obama is simply showing more of what is consistent in his writings, his speeches and his approach for years. He has both liberal and conservative values. It is not a 'move' to the center - it's easy to see this if you actually read his books.

Don...Well, there you go again! Your entire day revolves around finding ways to blame Republicans for anything! Even when Liberals make complete fools of themselves...you think it's some kind of Karl Rove conspiracy You need to realize there is a HUGE split within the Democratic Party!!! Remember...more people voted "against" Obama in the Democratic Primary. Even "if" Obama ends up in the White House....he will never be able to keep all of his ridiculous promises (immediately pulling our troops from Iraq) and the Lib's will start to eat each other alive!!! Also, remember the lefty loon's bought and paid for this Democratic Congress. Pelosi and Reid are nothing more then puppets on a string!!! Obama is not a leader....his poll numbers will be in the tank after his first six months!!!! SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.....NEVER VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT!!!!!!!

When did people start thinking that exclamation marks make up for a complete lack of analysis? I'm talking about liberals, conservatives, progressives, fascists, whomever. Shouting things at everyone simply makes one look like a hothead. Or like someone who has no analysis...

"When did people start thinking that exclamation marks make up for a complete lack of analysis?"
Posted by: James | July 3, 2008 12:11 PM
James!!!
If Don Fitzgerald!!! and John E!!! didn't have exclamation marks keys they'd never say anything!!!

Oh please! You think you can buy The Messiah for a piddling million dollars? ("One meelion dollars!")
You're competing against the oil industry, pharmeceuticals, the insurance industry, banking, agribusiness, mining...
A million dollars is chump change. He won't even notice it.

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